Mando rarely works alone. Although the bounty hunter began as a lone wanderer, picking up odd jobs and bringing targets in warm or cold, he’s become quite the team player. From Frog Lady helping him fight off a bunch of ice spiders to a huge team-up in the Season 2 finale that brought together Bo-Katan, Boba Fett, and even Cara Dune, Din Djarin understands sometimes you need a little help defending your adopted son from the remains of an evil Empire.
But could another ally be on the horizon for Mando — one who’s from the 1980s in more ways than one? This fan theory suggests just that.
It was recently announced that Christopher Lloyd, best known as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future franchise, will appear in The Mandalorian Season 3. And according to an Imgur post by user @vanthsarmory, Lloyd could very well be playing Tobbi Dala in an adaptation of Star Wars #68-69, non-canon comics published by Marvel Comics in the 1980s.
These comics follow Boba Fett as he helps a conquered Mandalore rid itself of the Empire once and for all. Boba Fett teams up with Mandalorian Protectors Fenn Shysa, a Han-Solo-like scoundrel, and Tobbi Dala, an old-timer brought back into the game. It certainly sounds like a role made for Christopher Lloyd.
There’s evidence for this theory in the recent deluge of set leaks we’ve seen. According to photos released by the Bespin Bulletin, The Mandalorian Season 3 will include a pilgrimage to the mines of Mandalore, where Mando can be re-initiated into the Children of the Watch after he committed apostasy by removing his helmet.
What’s more, Mandalore as we know it now resembles the Mandalore in those two comic issues. We know something terrible called the Night of a Thousand Tears happened, and now Mandalore is devastated. This theory suggests that, just like in the comics, the Empire (or what’s left of it) is controlling Mandalore and using the remaining Mandalorians as slaves.
If this is true, it would provide a gripping story of revolution for The Mandalorian Season 3, and set Mando in the position he’s destined for: Leader of the Mandalorians. Just as the comics set up Boba Fett as the new leader, Mando can take the role he’s rightly owed by the Darksaber.
Aside from all this, Tobbi Dala is long overdue for an on-screen appearance. He was the third Mandalorian to be named in the Star Wars universe, but he’s largely forgotten. What better way to introduce this icon of ‘80s Star Wars than with an icon of ‘80s pop culture?
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+.
